Australian WWII pilots awarded French Legion of Honour

Updated
June 06, 2014 07:33:00

On the eve of the 70th anniversary of D-Day, six Australian veterans were given France's highest military honour. The Legion of Honour went to former pilots who each played a role in D-day's aerial assault that helped protect the troops who stormed Normandy's beaches, and eventually liberated France. Europe correspondent Mary Gearin met up with the men at the award ceremony in Normandy.

CHRIS UHLMANN: On the eve of the D-Day anniversary, six Australian veterans were given France's highest military honour.

The Legion of Honour went to former pilots who each played a role in D-Day's aerial assault that helped protect the troops who stormed Normandy's beaches and eventually liberated France.

Europe correspondent Mary Gearin met with one of the men at the award ceremony in Normandy.

BILL EVANS: Did you get a kiss?

PHIL ELGER: Yeah, they all got a kiss.

MARY GEARIN: Ninety year old Bill Evans watched the only barely contained chaos around him with some amusement.

He was one of six Australians and two dozen fellow veterans from other allied countries receiving the Legion of Honour, with the rank of Chevalier, or Knight. And cameras crowded around them in the regional government headquarters in the town of Caen in Normandy.

Bill Evans drank to the occasion with some French wine and fellow Legionnaire, Phil Elger.

BILL EVANS: Oh, I couldn't believe it. I just could not believe it.

PHIL ELGER: Who's camera's that?

BILL EVANS: It's called the Legion d'honneur isn't it?

PHIL ELGER: Yeah.

BILL EVANS: Well, well, well.

MARY GEARIN: What's it like being back in Normandy?

BILL EVANS: It's absolutely wonderful. I hadn't been here before. I'd only been up there and down on the ground, it's more beautiful than up there, I tell you.

MARY GEARIN: What was it like back then? All of the planning that we hear about now that went before D-Day, was there a lot of that for you as well?

BILL EVANS: Well, I think, I don't know about you but I can remember we thought D-Day was coming, we were told, we were told it would be June 1st. And then it went on and on and on so much so that we never thought it was coming, did we?

PHIL ELGER: No, it was supposed to be the following day.

MARY GEARIN: Looking back, how did D-Day affect your life, do you think?

BILL EVANS: Well, I suppose it was the proudest day of my life I think. That's how I could say. And I felt it was the beginning of the end, you know.

MARY GEARIN: All the honoured Australians are former pilots who either conducted bombing raids on D-Day or support missions.

France rarely awards the Legion of Honour to foreigners, and only to those who uphold French ideals.

As part of the complex strategy that went into the air and sea assaults of D-Day, Phil Elger helped divert German planes from the landing sites for the allies' 150,000 troops.

He says this award is a wonderful thing to be gifted at his age.

PHIL ELGER: I'm 93 and I didn't expect any more.

MARY GEARIN: And of course you're getting this award. There are many of your compatriots who weren't around, who didn't make it for this award.

PHIL ELGER: I had seven in my crew, three Australians, four Englishmen, and I'm the lone. Only the good die young.

MARY GEARIN: In just a day these Australian veterans will find themselves seated among 18 heads of state at the international ceremony at Sword Beach to commemorate the audacious campaign that gave the allies a toehold in occupied France.

For these men, this is just one of the bonus days they've seen after Longest Day of 1944.